patterns

Pattern Analysis

Recommended model tier: balanced (sonnet) - this skill combines search with structured analysis

Analyze codebase patterns using static analysis findings. Surface complexity hotspots, code duplication, coupling issues, and potential secrets. Use this skill to understand code health and identify areas that need attention.

Prerequisites

Findings must be generated first by running analyzers via the CLI:

# Run all analyzers
./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path .

# Run specific analyzers
./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path . --analyzer complexity
./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path . --analyzer coupling
./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path . --analyzer secrets
./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path . --analyzer clones

Binary location: The aide binary is at .aide/bin/aide. If it's on your $PATH, you can use aide directly.

Available Tools

1. Search Findings (mcp__plugin_aide_aide__findings_search)

Full-text search across all findings. Supports Bleve query syntax for advanced searches.

Parameters:

• query (required) — Search term or Bleve query
• analyzer (optional) — Filter to one analyzer: complexity, coupling, secrets, clones
• severity (optional) — Filter by severity: info, warning, critical
• file (optional) — Filter by file path substring
• limit (optional) — Max results (default 20)

Example usage:

Search for: "high complexity"
-> findings_search query="complexity" severity="warning"
-> Returns: functions with high cyclomatic complexity, with file:line

2. List Findings (mcp__plugin_aide_aide__findings_list)

List findings with filters. Use when you want to browse rather than search.

Parameters:

• analyzer (optional) — Filter to one analyzer
• severity (optional) — Filter by severity
• file (optional) — Filter by file path substring
• limit (optional) — Max results (default 20)
• offset (optional) — Pagination offset

Example usage:

List all critical findings
-> findings_list severity="critical"
-> Returns: all critical-severity findings across all analyzers

3. Findings Statistics (mcp__plugin_aide_aide__findings_stats)

Get aggregate counts by analyzer and severity. Use as a starting point to understand overall code health before drilling into specifics.

Example usage:

How healthy is the codebase?
-> findings_stats
-> Returns: counts per analyzer, counts per severity, total findings

Workflow

Quick Health Check

1. Get overview — Use findings_stats to see counts by analyzer and severity
2. Triage critical — Use findings_list severity="critical" to review highest-priority items
3. Drill into areas — Use findings_search with file or query filters for specific concerns

Complexity Analysis

1. Run findings_search analyzer="complexity" severity="critical" to find the most complex functions
2. Use code_outline on flagged files to understand structure
3. Use Read with offset/limit to examine the specific functions
4. Recommend decomposition strategies

Duplication Analysis

1. Run findings_list analyzer="clones" to see detected code clones
2. Each finding includes the clone pair — both file locations and line ranges
3. Use Read to compare the duplicated sections
4. Recommend extraction into shared functions or modules

Coupling Analysis

1. Run findings_search analyzer="coupling" to see import fan-out/fan-in issues
2. High fan-out means a file imports too many things (potential god module)
3. High fan-in means many files depend on one (fragile dependency)
4. Cycle findings indicate circular dependency chains

Secret Detection

1. Run findings_list analyzer="secrets" severity="critical" for confirmed secrets
2. Run findings_list analyzer="secrets" for all potential secrets (including unverified)
3. Each finding includes the secret category (e.g., AWS, GitHub, generic API key)
4. Snippets are redacted for safety — use Read to examine context around the finding

Anti-Pattern Identification

Beyond the automated analyzers, look for these patterns using findings as starting points:

Finding	Likely Anti-Pattern	Action
Complexity > 20	God function	Decompose into smaller functions
Fan-out > 15	Kitchen sink module	Split responsibilities
Fan-in > 20	Fragile dependency	Consider interface/abstraction
Multiple clones	Copy-paste programming	Extract shared utility
Import cycle	Circular dependency	Restructure module boundaries

Output Format

## Code Health Report

### Overview

- Total findings: X (Y critical, Z warnings)
- Top concern: [area/file with most issues]

### Hotspots

1. **`file:line`** - [description] (severity)
   - Impact: [why this matters]
   - Recommendation: [what to do]

### Patterns Detected

- [List of anti-patterns found with evidence]

### Recommendations

1. [Prioritized action items]

Failure Handling

1. No findings data — Tell user to run analyzers first: ./.aide/bin/aide findings run --path .
2. Stale findings — Findings reflect the state at last analyzer run; recommend re-running if code changed significantly
3. False positives — Secret detection may flag test fixtures or example configs; note when findings appear to be in test/example code

Verification Criteria

• Checked findings_stats for overall picture
• Reviewed critical findings
• Cross-referenced findings with actual code (used Read or code_outline)
• Provided actionable recommendations with file:line references
• Noted any false positives or findings that need manual verification